An effort to maximize Rocky Mount's historic, pedestrian feel continues as the town is set to do more multimillion-dollar improvements.

What's known as the "uptown" portion of Franklin County's seat -- which includes Main Street -- will get a face lift, including overhead utilities being moved underground and new sidewalks, street signs, landscaping and streetlights.

The improvements will add to a number of projects already completed in and around downtown in recent years, including the opening of the Franklin Center, a $5.5 million adult education center, said Town Manager James Ervin.

"With the addition of the Franklin Center and the work done to downtown Rocky Mount, this area is really starting to come alive," Ervin said. "This project will jump-start redevelopment throughout this area."

Town officials will begin seeking bids on the $1.8 million uptown revitalization project in March, and construction is set to begin in April.

Ervin said the town began planning for the project in 2001 and began receiving funding for it in 2004.

The town received a $700,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Virginia Housing and Community Development department as well as a $150,000 state transportation enhancement grant.

Ervin said private citizens also donated to the project.

"This is the single largest-scale project that we have ever undertaken," Ervin said. "There is a great deal of public and private investment involved."

The project extends from West Church Street to Floyd Avenue and includes Main Street, West Court Street, Bank Street and Warren Street.

"This town is a classic courthouse town," Ervin said. "We want to return to that and make it inviting for residents and businesses."

Ervin said Warren Street has already seen some activity in anticipation of the project.

"We have put a lot of money into renovating the homes so the residents can have a better quality of life," Ervin said. "We've been able to get a lot of residents into this type of housing."

Plans call for business storefronts along the corridor to be renovated to give the area a more historic feel, Assistant Town Manager Matt Hankins said.

All of the more than 27 businesses have been cooperative in giving easements for parking, sidewalks and landscaping, he said.

"The reception that we have received from everyone has been very positive," Hankins said, adding that businesses also receive grants from the town to make their storefronts more historic. "They understand that if we want to see good business growth, we are going to have to have adequate parking."

Hankins said the town is also interested in attracting new businesses for uptown.

A new micro-enterprise loan program will help put new businesses in some of the vacant buildings.

"We want to really build up Rocky Mount," Hankins said. "It's important that we do everything we can to attract businesses."

Resident Angela Washington said she has already begun to see changes on Warren Street and is eager to see how the rest of the new developments will unfold.

"Rocky Mount has always been a great place to do business," she said. "Hopefully, these new changes will bring in new jobs so residents won't have to travel so far for work. By the looks of things so far, I think they are off to a good start."

Warren Street business owner Darlene Swain said the improvements will be good for the town.

"You can't have a downtown and the uptown looks terrible," Swain said. "You have to unify the whole town. Change is never a bad thing."

Ervin said officials hope to have construction on the project completed by 2009.

"Once we start on the project we don't plan to stop," Ervin said. "This will be good for the town."